A/N: Thank you all for your reviews and support! I hope you enjoy this next chapter.
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Chapter 14: My Cinnamon Roll
Christian felt like he was in a daze as he and Taylor hurried out to the car. Taylor, having overheard the phone call and clearly reading Christian's urgency of the situation, immediately got in the driver's seat of the Audi as Christian got in the backseat. Taylor drove the car out of the Grey Estate's long driveway and began speeding toward St. Vincent's Hospital.
Christian's leg bounced anxiously as he gazed out the window, still clutching his phone in his hand while watching the world speed by. His mind was on Ana, casting up horrible images of her lying in a hospital bed, weak and alone, her leg wrapped up in a sling as she cried out in pain. Even though Mia didn't make her injury out to be that bad on the phone, the very thought of Ana getting hurt enough to have to go to the emergency room was deeply upsetting to Christian.
He kept glancing down at his watch before looking back out the window, impatiently watching the buildings pass by as they drove. At this point, the sun had already set and darkness was starting to settle over the city, causing Christian's mood to sink even further.
Why can't we move faster?
The ride to the hospital seemed like it was taking forever, even though in reality it was probably only about fifteen minutes. Finally, Taylor pulled up to the front doors of the emergency room, and Christian immediately jumped out, rushing through the automatic sliding doors toward the nurse's station while Taylor went to go park.
"I'm here for Anastasia Steele," Christian immediately said to the nurse sitting there, his tone urgent and demanding. "Where is she?"
The nurse, a thin middle-aged woman with glasses, blinked up at Christian for a moment before seeming to come back to herself and turning toward her computer screen. "Um, of course, sir. Do you know the reason why she was brought here?"
"She broke her ankle. I think she came through the emergency room," Christian said, gazing down the corridor to his right. Was she down there?
The woman typed on her keyboard for a few more silent moments, and Christian had to restrain himself from shouting at her to hurry up. "Ah yes, Anastasia Steele. She did come through the emergency room about an hour ago. She's down that hallway to your right in Room 15…"
Christian said a quick 'thanks' before he was off, rushing down the hallway in the direction where the nurse indicated. There were several doctors and nurses milling around the ER, watching him in surprise as he hurried past them. Christian peered into each room, which contained hospital beds, a few chairs, and bulky medical equipment.
Christian finally saw the doorway labeled Room 15 up ahead. From his vantage point, he could see the door was slightly ajar and could hear voices talking from inside.
"…just wanted to see that you're alright, Ana," a male voice was saying. "I saw your friends practically carrying you out the door, so of course I was worried."
"We have it all under control, Jose," a female voice that sounded like Kate piped up, and Christian thought she sounded annoyed. "You really don't have to hang around here anymore."
Christian finally walked into the room, knocking lightly on the open door to announce his arrival, and five pairs of eyes turned to look at him. He noticed Mia, Kate, and Claire sitting on one side of the hospital bed, and a guy Christian had never seen before standing at the other side. Christian figured this was the Jose guy who had been speaking a moment ago.
Christian then set his eyes on Ana, who was lying in the hospital bed looking miserable; her right leg was bound up in a cast and boot, and an IV bag hung from a rack off to the side of the bed with a tube leading to her arm. His heart broke for her.
"Christian," Ana said, giving him a weak smile, and Christian felt his heart flip in his chest. "Mia said you were coming by."
"I told him he didn't need to come," Mia said, shooting her brother a look. "We've already got more than enough people crowding Ana in this room."
"Well, when you told me Ana had to be taken to the emergency room, what did you expect me to do?" Christian asked seriously, moving past Jose so he could sit at Ana's side. He looked at her injured foot, feeling a well of anger and emotion in his chest, and he resisted the urge to pick her up and hold her to his chest in a tight embrace. "Are you okay, Ana? What happened, exactly?"
"I'm okay. I'm mostly just upset about this whole situation," Ana admitted, frowning down at her boot. "Mia invited us to go to Dessert Wars at the Seattle Expo Center earlier today, and it was super crowded. I was in the middle of the crowd of people when someone nearby tripped and caused a bunch of people to fall over. Somebody fell into me, and that's how I fractured my ankle."
Christian clenched his jaw, biting back the sudden surge of anger he felt. Logically, he knew that this was just an unfortunate accident that could have happened to anyone, but another part of him wanted to sue Dessert Wars and the Seattle Expo Center into oblivion for allowing this to happen to Ana. He clenched his hand into a fist, but said nothing.
"The doctor said it was a simple fracture," Claire explained. "So her ankle should heal within the next six to eight weeks."
"Yeah. And I have to walk around on crutches with this massive thing on my leg," Ana pouted, looking miserable as she gazed at her booted leg. "How the hell am I supposed to run my bakery like this?"
"I've been telling you forever, Ana, you should really consider taking a break," the guy piped up, and Christian finally looked over at him. He was gazing at Ana with sad, emotion-filled eyes that made Christian feel immediately pissed off. "This could be the perfect opportunity for you to take some time off from the bakery. Maybe shut it down for a few weeks or something…?"
"And how exactly am I supposed to pay my bills, Jose?" Ana snapped with more coldness than Christian had ever heard from her before. "Do you even know what it's like to run a business?"
Jose flinched slightly. "Well, n-no, but –"
"I'm sorry, but who are you?" Christian interrupted this Jose fucker before he could respond to Ana. "Why exactly are you here?"
"I'm Ana's friend," Jose said stiffly, shooting Christian a look. "And I was actually at the expo center when she fell. I saw her friends take her to the emergency room, and I wanted to come by to make sure she was okay."
He's her ex, Christian thought immediately. The thought made him sick with anger and jealousy, but he forced himself to tamp it down.
"Well, I'm sure Ana appreciates your concern," he said coldly, getting to his feet so he was facing Jose. Christian was inordinately pleased to see that he stood about four inches taller than him. "But I think it's time for you to leave."
Jose glared back at him. If he was intimidated by Christian, he didn't show it. "And who are you exactly to order me around?"
"I'm Ana's friend too. Got a problem with that?" Christian snapped.
"Christian, sit down," Mia said to her brother firmly. "Mom would kill you if she found out you were starting fights in hospital rooms."
"He's the one with the problem – not me," Christian stated, not looking at Mia as he continued to glare at Jose.
"I don't have a problem," Jose glared back at Christian before glancing over at Ana. "I already said, I'm just here to check on Ana and make sure she's alright."
"I'm fine Jose, now can you please leave?" Ana asked, sounding exhausted and stressed.
"You heard her," Christian said firmly to Jose. "Leave. Now."
"Back the hell off, man," Jose snapped, stepping forward as if he and Christian were about to square off.
"No," Christian narrowed his eyes. "Not until you respect Ana's wishes and get the hell out."
"Don't fucking tell me what to do!" Jose snapped.
"Jose!" Ana shouted. "Get out!"
"Is there a problem in here?"
The others turned to see a doctor and a security guard step through the doorway, both of them looking at Christian and Jose with scrutiny. Jose took a step back from Christian, holding his hands up.
"There's no problem," Jose said, shooting one last glare in Christian's direction. "I was just leaving."
"Like I asked you multiple times," Ana said angrily to him. Christian had to fight a small, triumphant smile as Jose looked upset by her words.
"Come on, then. We'll escort you out," the doctor said firmly, and he and the security guard led Jose out of the room. Jose didn't so much as glance back as he left down the corridor.
"Finally, he's gone," Mia sighed in relief, looking over at Christian. "Thanks for getting rid of him, Christian. He wouldn't listen to any of us."
"Assholes like him need to be told things multiple times before they get it through their thick skulls," Christian said darkly, sitting back down in the chair beside Ana's hospital bed. "Ana, please tell me if he continues to bother you in the coming weeks. I hate the idea of you being injured while also being harrassed by that dickwad."
Ana gave him a tremulous smile. "Thanks Christian. I will," she said, but then glanced down at her lap, her expression troubled. "Jose is… well, he's my ex-boyfriend, and we broke up because of my bakery. Now that he's come around again, I'm afraid he's going to do something to sabotage my business."
Christian felt his heart catch in his chest, and didn't think before reaching down and grasping her hand in his own, squeezing it gently, reassuringly. "I will never let anything happen to you or your business, Ana," he said firmly, the conviction in his voice making Ana's eyes raise up to his. "I promise. You'll never have to worry about your ex bothering you again."
Ana blinked before giving him a small grateful smile. She seemed to genuinely believe his words. "Thank you, Christian."
Christian smiled back. Neither of them noticed the three other women in the room watching the two of them, with Mia in particular staring at their joined hands.
A/N: So do you guys think Jose will be a problem? 0_0 Let me know!
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